Hangul Letter O

In Korean spelling it is /o/; alone, it can be an insult.

ㅗ is one of Hangul's vowel letters. The earliest record cited for the Hangul system is an entry in Sejong Shilok from 1443; the 1446 Hunminjeongeum explains how its vowels were formed. ㅗ is built from the basic elements ㆍ, ㅡ, and ㅣ. Hangul was designed to represent Korean speech more directly than the Chinese-character writing used before it.

The Korean ㅗ middle-finger reading is an online convention added to the letter's spelling role. A Korean emoticon guide recorded the standalone gesture in 2012; a 2019 texting guide describes repeated marks as a stronger insult. A learner may see a vowel, while someone familiar with Korean text conventions may recognize the gesture.

Is ㅗ rude when someone sends it?

It can be rude when sent by itself as a reply.

After an argument, read a bare ㅗ as a possible hostile dismissal, rather than as pronunciation practice. In a Korean word it is an ordinary vowel; on its own, it can carry the gesture reading.

If the context is unclear, avoid sending it alone to someone you do not know well. Use it inside a Korean word when you mean the letter.

How do I type ㅗ in a Korean syllable?

Use Korean input and combine it with a consonant.

On the standard Korean 2-set layout, press H for ㅗ. Korean input usually combines a consonant and vowel into one syllable block; a standalone vowel is appropriate when you are discussing the letter itself.

The related conjoining jamo ᅩ is used in syllable composition and can behave differently from compatibility ㅗ in text processing.